The five general characteristics of the verb are: action, time, number, mood and aspect. The verb is a word that contains meaning of action, therefore it can express different forms and people.
In all languages, ideas are expressed with three basic elements: subject, verb and complement. In some languages the order is reversed, placing the verb last, as in Japanese, Latin, Hindi and Farsi, but the basic elements are preserved.
Action is one of the characteristics of the verb
The verb shows the state or action of the subject in relation to the complement. That is to say, it offers the union between these elements and a logical order of existence or time, which allows the listener to understand the sentence or phrase.
5 general characteristics of the verb
The verb can vary depending on the person it refers to or uses and the time it is used. In addition, it gives the way in which the idea is expressed.
Here are the main characteristics of this meaningful word, called a verb:
1- The action
The verb expresses what the subject of the sentence is doing. Following the basic structure, the verb will unite the subject and the complement in a logical sequence.
For example, the sentence:
The same subject (José) is shown with the same complement (on the street) in three different times (ran that is past, runs that is present and will run that is future).
The verb tenses of the indicative can be extended beyond the present, past and future in: present, past, imperfect past, compound past perfect, past perfect, past past, future, future perfect, etc.
Verb tenses. El Mexicano / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
3- Person and number
Verbs are conjugated in three persons (first, second and third), each of them in the singular and in the plural.
Person and number. Image taken from Wikipedia.org
First person. It expresses the idea of who is speaking. For example:
It can be seen that the verb expresses the action of the subject, in this case that he writes every day.
Second person. It refers to who is listening to the subject expressing the sentence. For example, the following sentence will be in the future tense:
Third person. It refers to who is out of the conversation between the person speaking and the person listening. For example, the following phrase will be in the past tense:
4- The mode
Briefly, there are three modes of the verb:
- Indicative: expresses real, safe and possible events.
Examples: "Shakira will sing in Montevideo", "I used to drink coffee to study", "She is talking to her mother."
- Subjunctive: it expresses a hypothetical possibility, that is, it shows facts without the certainty that they occur. It is also used to express wishes.
Examples: "It was essential for Dad to bring the candles", "The doctor asked me to lie down in bed", "We will have to assess whether it is wise to go outside in this rain", "I hope my team wins the cup".
- Imperative: it is used to give orders, advice, prohibitions, requests and clear instructions.
Examples: "Take off those dirty clothes!", "Please keep a safe distance", "Give me my money", "Don't run down the hallway at home!"
5- The a
The aspect is used to indicate whether the action expressed in the sentence has been completed or not. There are two types of aspects:
The first one expresses whether the action was concluded.
For example: I ran all day.
The second expresses that the action has not concluded.
For example: I listened to the radio all afternoon.
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- Spelling of the Spanish Language. Royal Spanish Academy. Recovered from the site: rae.es
- The Verb: Mode, Time and Aspect. LivingSpanish.com. Recovered from the site: livingspanish.com
- The Verb: Formal characteristics and non-personal forms. LÓPEZ ASENJO, MARIO. Master Language. Recovered from the site: masterlengua.com
- Definition of verb. Recovered from the site: definicion.de
- Image N1. Author: Polska. Recovered from the site: pixabay.com